A building inspector in the city Department of Planning and Permitting pleaded guilty Monday to an indictment accusing him and others of accepting bribes to accelerate building projects.
Jason Dadez is the third of five current and former DPP employees to plead guilty to the federal charges of being tied to
a pay-to-play scheme that involved accepting thousands of dollars in bribes from architects, contractors and others. He pleaded guilty to a charge that involved accepting a $1,000 check from the owners of a restaurant in Waipahu and corresponding with an architect about a residence on Ala Wai Boulevard.
A federal indictment issued in March describes bribery occurring between 2012 and 2020 in which
Dadez accepted thousands of dollars in cash payments, gifts and other items of value in exchange for conducting official city business.
Former DPP employees Kanani Padeken and Jennie Javonillo — both held building plans examiner posts — previously pleaded guilty to similar charges.
Architect William Wong was also indicted. Wong, who was not employed by the city, pleaded guilty in 2021, admitting he paid about $89,000 in bribes to DPP employees.
Former DPP employee Wayne Inouye and current employee Jocelyn Godoy have pleaded not guilty. The charges against Inouye, a former building plans examiner, allege that he accepted and solicited nearly $100,000 worth of cash payments and gifts from architects, contractors and third-party reviewers between 2012 and 2017. He was retired when the group was indicted. Inouye’s trial is set to get underway April 22.
The charges against Godoy, an employee of the department’s data access and imaging branch, similarly allege that she accepted and solicited bribes from an architect and third-party reviewer. However, it does not specify a total figure. Her trial has been continued until Aug. 29.
When the indictment was released, Dadez, Padeken and Godoy were put on immediate leave with pay, which would be dependent on the outcome of each case. DPP spokesman Curtis Lum confirmed Monday that Padeken is no longer employed by DPP.
The department declined to comment on employment status for Dadez and Godoy. Lum said the department will review the updates to Dadez’s guilty plea and address it accordingly.
According to the Civil Beat public employees salary database, in 2020 Godoy’s annual pay was between $34,020 and $52,296. Dadez made between $53,304 and $77,448 annually. Dadez is scheduled for sentencing on
July 6.
